Chicago Weather: New Year's Day Snowstorm Appearing More Likely

CHICAGO (CBS) -- It's looking like a snowy start to 2022.

A winter storm is developing that could drop three to six inches of snow across the Chicago area. However, the track of the storm could still change, leading to more rain than snow, according to CBS 2 meteorologist Laura Bannon.

The snow is currently expected to start around noon on New Year's Day and continue though early Sunday morning, especially along Lake Michigan. High winds are also expected, which could make traveling difficult. Then, temperatures turn colder, with lows in the single digits Sunday night.

Big New Year's storms have happened before. Many might remember the New Year's Day storm of 1999, when a total of 21.6 inches fell at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport. That ranks as the second biggest snowfall in Chicago history.

There is currently no indication that a storm this weekend would reach totals like that.

We went into the CBS 2 News digital archives to find the three worst blizzards in Chicago. And just this past February, about 18 inches fell at Midway International Airport, but only a little more than seven inches at O'Hare.